Last week, as part of the historic Global Climate Strike, activists in Luxembourg, Paris and Berlin took to banks and government offices to say: No more fossil finance!
They, along with the millions of us who walked out for the climate strikes did so to put an end to business as usual. The business as usual that is allowing fossil companies to keep polluting and banks to keep lending billions to their dirty projects.
In Luxembourg, protesters were outside the ING bank in Luxembourg, demanding they stop funding fossil fuels.
Solidarity to the @xrluxembourg activists in front of the ING Bank in Luxembourg RIGHT NOW, calling on the them to go #Fossilfree! #INGfossilfree
We need to #EndFossilFinance NOW: https://t.co/8zIQC5TUGO pic.twitter.com/Mr8FEzyQhL
— 350.org Europe (@350Europe) September 23, 2019
In Berlin, activists staged a sit-in at the Federal Finance Ministry’s offices in Berlin demanding that Germany stop sabotaging the EU Bank’s attempts to ditch fossil fuel lending.
Money makes the fossil industry go round (and pollute).
We need to end fossil finance NOW. #ClimateStrike #EndFossilFinanceSupport the call for a #FossilFreeEIB: https://t.co/S4jpHPTYqq pic.twitter.com/tcNTjjA77n
— 350.org Europe (@350Europe) September 25, 2019
In Paris – strikers took direct action at the French finance ministry, telling the minister and the government that the time is up for fossil fuel finance.
Notre planète MOURRANTE! Pour la guérir nous prescrivons PAS UN EURO DE PLUS POUR LES ENERGIES FOSSILES – plus jamais.#ZeroFossile #ClimateStrike #GrèvePourLeClimat
https://t.co/xOzP6SnEDC— 350.org – France (@350France) September 20, 2019
Why is this important?
To operate – to drill, frack and burn – fossil fuel companies need money. Because the fossil fuel industry refuses to stop wrecking the climate, it is time for us to demand that banks and other financiers immediately stop the flow of money to these polluters. As Bill McKibben writes, “the key to disrupting the flow of carbon into the atmosphere may lie in disrupting the flow of money to coal and oil and gas.”
It’s simple – we have to turn off the tap of money pouring into fossil fuel projects.
Instead of bankrolling disaster, we can push financial institutions to instead start financing the rapid, just transition to the 100% renewable energy system we so urgently need.
This week has shown that we, as a movement, have the numbers, and the power to truly take on the fossil fuel industry and its backers. And the first target is the European Investment Bank (EIB) – the world’s biggest public lender – which wants to stop funding fossil fuels, but just needs a final push.
So what can you do?
If you’ve only got a few seconds, sign and share the petition to demand a #FossilFreeEIB!
If you’ve got a little more time, sign up to join the webinar series exploring how to end fossil finance.
